Ali Larter discusses her “Obsession”...

page 3
inside

Intermission interviews YouTube Symphony Orchestra creator Tim Lee...pages 4-5

Xanh Vietnamese restaurant, bar and lounge great for food and relaxation...page 6 FRIDAY
A look at Coachella fashion and style...page 13
Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx shine in “The Soloist”...page 14
Sustainable Fashion Show photographed and collaged...page 16
4.24.09

intermission
stanford’s weekly guide to campus culture
VO LU M E 235 . ISSUE 11
a publication of the stanford daily

photos courtesy goldenvoice

ALSO INSIDE

INTERMISSION A COLOR COLLAGE OF

INTERVIEWS YOUTUBE SUSTAINABLE
SYMPHONY FOUNDER FASHION SHOW
TIMOTHY LEE
...page 16
...page 4-5

Tim Lee steve lesser

PAGE 2 HOW TO BECOME
e FAMOUS
With the Internet these
days anyone with some
imagination can claim 15
minutes of fame, no matter
your age (“Charlie Bit Me!”).
Yet fame has become lasting for some
of these Internet celebs, helping them
transition into real world celebrities.
For those of us who have dreams of
grandeur, what are the pointers that
we can take from people who have
revu.nl successfully made names for them-
selves (good or bad) through the
ESMÉE DENTERS Internet? mirror.co.uk

If you spend any time on YouTube, you’ve probably

SUSAN BOYLE
heard of Esmée Denters, the Dutch singer who
In terms of Internet phenomena, it doesn’t get much bigger than
started singing and covering popular songs on her
Susan Boyle. The Britain’s Got Talent video of this 47-year-old
Webcam in August 2006. She became a sensation
Scottish singer was viewed tens of millions of times within 72
and caught the eye of Dutch artist manager
hours of its debut of April 11. Since then, she’s been reported on
Jonathan Berhane, who then helped her meet
almost every major news outlet and is reportedly negotiating a
Justin Timberlake. Before long, she became the first
contract with Simon Cowell. It’s hard to believe that just a few days
artist to sign with Timberlake’s label Tennman, also
opening for Timberlake’s 2007 European tour. Her PEREZ ago this woman lived in total anonymity.
Lessons to be learned from Susan Boyle: Age, looks and demeanor
debut album Outta Here drops May 22.
What can you learn from Esmée Denters? I doubt
HILTON don’t matter if you have the talent, which Ms. Boyle does. You’re
never too old to become famous —
Esmée was eyeing a record label when she first
morningjournal.com and discovery can happen within
started singing into her Webcam — if you’ve got a
a matter of hours.
talent, share it. Don’t be afraid to show the world Of course we cannot talk about the conversion from
what you’ve got. eFame to real fame without including the blogger-turned-
MORNINGJOURNAL.COM
household-name Perez Hilton. (Real name: Mario
FRIDAY Armando Lavandeira, Jr. — who knew?) Known for his
ruthless techniques of outing Hollywood names, contro-
4.24.09 versial mockery of celebrities and brash attitude, Perez
Hilton is an extremely polarizing figure. What can a
TILA
Stanford student possibly learn from Perez? I don’t rec- TEQUILA
ommend you go online right now and start your own blog
BONE TO PICK? revealing every single piece of gossip and secret you know As much we all wished
about everyone at Stanford. No, what Perez shows us is Tila Tequila wasn’t a celebri-
that having a blog that has a defined direction and an atti- ty, she is, and she became one
tude to match can definitely take you places. through the Internet —
MySpace, to be exact. By
page views she is still the
most popular artist on
well then, email us! MySpace. Now, she is
intermission@daily.stanford.edu also a reality TV host,
singer/songwriter (I am
MANAGING EDITOR just as shocked as you
Joanna Xu are), model and actress.
What can you learn from
LAYOUT EDITOR Tila Tequila — not from
Jin Yu her herself but from her rise
to infamy? Well, just that if
COPY EDITOR you’re hot and you know it, go
Jane LePham online and put yourself out
Samantha Lasarow there. As Tila herself once
explained, there are plenty of
DESK EDITORS aloof hot chicks on the Internet
Annika Heinle — the difference was she talked
Kyle Evaldez back.

PHOTO EDITOR
Amanda Zhang

2 intermission washingtontimes.com google images

6
ALI LARTER TALKS ABOUT THE FEMME
FATALE AND “OBSESSED”
hen one thinks about the female celebrities who
W attract the geeks, nerds and science fiction lovers
out there, it is impossible not to consider Ali
Larter. Starring in the hit television show “Heroes” and
movies like “Resident Evil” and “Final Destination,” Ali Larter
is constantly out there kicking ass in tight clothing, saving the
world from zombies and the like. Her new movie, “Obsessed,”
has a very different storyline than other films Ali has starred
in. “Obsessed” is about a couple, played by Idris Elban and
Beyonce Knowles, that is stalked by the obsessive (hence the
title) and psychotic Lisa Sheridan (Ali Larter). Intermission
had the chance to listen in as journalists around the country
posed questions to Ali about her new movie.
The State Press: My question is, when you first read the script
and everything, what immediately attracted you to this char-
acter?
Ali Larter (AL): The first thing that attracted me was the idea
of, you know, was getting a chance to play a femme fatal. I
just, you know, with movies for me, the movies that I loved
were Barbara Stanwyck in “Double Indemnity,” Rita
Hayworth in “Gilda.” The real classic femme fatals are one of
the reasons I always wanted to get into this business. And this
movie is really a kiss more to that kind of sexy thriller genre
of Rebecca De Mornay in “Hand that Rocks the Cradle,” and
“Fatal Attraction.” So, you know, getting the chance to play
that really delicious, you know, female villain was my first
draw.
And then, after that, when I found out that Idris Elba was
doing it, I just, I have so much respect for him. He was incred-
ible playing Stringer Bell on “The Wire.” And Beyonce. who,
you know, I think is just an incredible talent.
photos courtesy allmoviephoto.com
“ The first thing that attracted me was the idea
of, you know, was getting a chance to play a
femme fatal...This movie is really a kiss more to
that kind of sexy thriller genre of Rebecca De
Mornay in ‘Hand that Rocks the Cradle,’ and
‘Fatal Attraction.’
” — Ali Larter
Stormy Peitro: What I wanted to talk to you about was how
does this role compare to some of the others you’ve taken? I
mean, you’re most well known for being on “Heroes” and
“Final Destination.” What was it like to actually switch over and
be the villain for once?
AL: Well, you know, I’m usually the one beating people up, so
this movie really humbled me a little bit. I had to take one for
the team. You know, this movie differs in the fact that I really
do, I think of her, you know, she’s definitely in the vein of the
classic femme fatal, and that is what drew me to this movie.
Also, the fact that she really gets lost in her psychosis, and to
understand what happened to this woman and how she could
kind of go down this path of believing one thing, when anoth-
er thing is probably true. For me, it was really just kind of inter-
esting to figure out the complexities of her and what makes her
tick.
Then, also, it’s really a three-hander in this. You get to see
the three different points of view of people in the same situa-
tion, so I thought that that was an interesting, fresh take on this.
And also that the movie is color blind and not once is race
mentioned, and that, to me, and I think with Idris
also, is one of the things that we
found most appealing about it.
The Oracle: My question was,
in this movie you have a fight scene
with Beyonce that they mentioned.
What kind of training did you have to
do in preparation for that?
AL: We do a lot of physical stuff on
“Heroes,” and it seems that I always end
up getting in some kind of fight in what-
ever role I’m playing, so we start off with
getting the best stunt doubles that we can
find, and I have an amazing girl
that I work with. But the other
side is that I also like to do as
much as I can. I think that you
can really tell when the actor is
in there, so we spent about a
week really breaking it down,
and we just had fun. It was like,
you hit twice. Well, I’m going
to hit you three times, and we
just really had joy in it.
And, for me, watching
Beyonce charge you is one of
my favorite moments, so I real-
ly hope that comes across on
the screen that people really see
that we tried to make it so it’s
believable and not fall into all
the clichés, but, at the same
time, deliver what the movie
promises to deliver.
North By Northwest: One of the things that I was curious
about, what did you find to be the most difficult aspect of your
character, and what did you like best about portraying her on
screen?
AL: The most difficult thing was that probably I was shooting
“Heroes” at the same time, so for a couple months, I was work-
ing seven days a week, like 12 hours a day, and that was by far
the most trying thing because I’d be going from one character
and kind of one tone and hopping into another one and some-
times I would be driving from one set to the next. For me, it was
just a very trying time. It was also that I was so excited to get to
play this kind of a take on the classic femme fatal character. I
love watching these movies. I love being an audience in these
kind of sexy thriller, you know, that genre and “Hand that
Rocks the Cradle,” “Fatal Attraction,” and this movie is really
kind of an homage to those.
And to get to play her, you know, she’s really a character
that is delusional and the things that have happened to her, you
know, and figuring out how to keep a mystery to her, but also
make the audience feel for this girl and understand that, for her,
it was only about love and how things that people say can be
misinterpreted. And to me, that’s really the point of this movie.
I mean, it’s this imaginary office romance that has disastrous
consequences, and we really try to dissect the three different
points of view and how each person reacts to it.
The Daily Axe: I wanted to know — you talked about you liked
playing femme fatal characters. I want to know how that corre-
lates in your plans for the future. What are you working on
right now?
AL: I’m about to actually go start a movie with Ed Burns, which
I’m really excited about. She’s not a femme fatal, but . . . actu-
ally, she could . . . in a way . . . there are slices of it. For me, it’s
like I just love intense women. I love strong women. I love
women that go after what they want and don’t always worry
about the consequences. There’s a free spirited nature in that
that I really am drawn to and a driven side of it too. Yes, I just
really love playing those girls.
In the future, there are lots of different things I want to do.
I actually would love to do a comedy. I would love to laugh. You
know, when you’re on the set of movies like this, days where
we’re shooting the fight scene couldn’t be more amazing. We’re
just having a blast, but days where we’re actually shooting
scenes where there’s this intense altercation between me and
Derek, I mean these are really difficult scenes to do, and they’re
painful, and so there’s really two sides of it, so I think that I’m
ready to lighten up a bit and maybe give me a little romance.
Give me a little lightness.
“Obsessed” opens in theatres nationwide on April 24.
— francisco MARTINEZ
contact francisco: fmartin3@stanford.edu
friday april 24 2009 3
TIM LEE
photos courtesy Tim Lee
ou may have heard of the YouTube Symphony
Y Orchestra, the online phenomenon that created a sym-
phony out of musicians from around the world, of all
ages and levels of expertise. From the 15-year-old Canadian
cellist to the French horn-playing IT professional from the
U.K., all 95 musicians gathered and finally met in New York
City last week to play at none other than Carnegie Hall.
Timothy Lee, a student at the Graduate School of Business
(GSB), was the mastermind behind this initiative. Intermission
sat down with him this past week to talk about the origins of
the project, how it developed into larger-than-life proportions
and the awesome people he met along the way.
intermission (i): How did you come up with the idea of creat-
ing a YouTube Symphony Orchestra?
Timothy Lee (TL): Well, first, I noticed two things going on in
YouTube about a year and a half ago, at the end of 2007. First,
people were becoming incredibly famous through YouTube.
This is a trend we hadn’t seen before — the time it takes to
become well-known has shortened considerably. For example,
six months to a year after becoming famous online, people
could land recording contracts or major deals. Secondly, I
noticed that a lot of mixing and collaboration was going on
4 intermission
6
YOUTUBE SYMPHONY
online on a small scale. For example, there is a great video on Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, just to name a few. This was
YouTube called “Every Car You Chase,” which is a great mix of
“Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol” and “Every Move You Make”
by Sting. People were combining soundtracks, creating mash-
great because this means that we got the best professionals in
each section and instrument to choose from the auditions.
They helped us whittle it down to 200 finalists, and the final
ups on YouTube. But it was on a small scale, just one or two 200 videos were uploaded to YouTube for the community vot-
videos mixed together in creative ways. ing.
This was all a new form of creativity that we hadn’t seen (i): You got Michael Tilson Thomas of the San Francisco
before — this talent discovery and online collaboration. I Symphony Orchestra to conduct the YouTube Symphony
wondered whether we could take it to the next level, use plat- Orchestra. Did he have any say in the final 200 contestants?
forms like YouTube to encourage online artistic collaboration. Why did you choose him for this role?
Out of that idea grew the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. TL: Michael Tilson Thomas had some artistic say in the for-
I worked at Google at the time I had the idea for this. I mation of the orchestra — he knew how to put together an
knew the person who was head of YouTube marketing and I orchestra. In many ways, Michael was the perfect conductor
explained the idea to him. He eventually became the for an initiative like this. He was always trying to push the fore-
spokesperson for this initiative, which was great because he front of technology — how music would be perceived using
always thought big. We agreed that this could be something technology. Secondly, he was used to working with musicians
game-changing. From there, it just took off: We presented the from a wide range of backgrounds, from diverse ages, skill lev-
idea to a few hundred people and there was great reception — els and expertise. Thirdly, he’s not just the conductor of the
the idea gained momentum internally. Slowly, a team emerged San Francisco Orchestra — he’s also the director of the New
with people from all areas of Google. We were able to get peo- World Symphony.
ple seriously interested in this initiative, even when it wasn’t Watching Michael in rehearsal is amazing. He has this
their core job. ability to pinpoint what musicians need to work on in pieces
(i): What did you do to publicize this initiative? and to bring out the best in every musician at every level —
TL: A huge amount of work has gone in since the original idea. which was great, because in the YouTube Symphony, our musi-
It’s amazing how a team came together around the world to cians ranged from aspiring amateurs to the very top.
support this innovative idea. We adopted a strategy where we (i): From the very beginning, how did you get people and
allowed each country to attack how they wanted to approach organizations around the world to help you and become
this program. We contacted the local Google team and market- involved?
ing managers around the world, and they had their own ideas
of how to publicize this. For example, in Korea, the Google
team decided to go and find pop stars, actresses, actors, etc. I WONDERED WHETHER WE
who would support this initiative. There, they got Song Hye
Kyo [a famous Korean actess] to be the ambassador for this
COULD...USE PLATFORMS LIKE
project — there are videos of her speaking on behalf of the YOUTUBE TO ENCOURAGE
events. In Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra ONLINE ARTISTIC COLLABO-
played the piece that Tan Dun wrote for this symphony in all
traditional Chinese instruments. Within Google, we had peo- RATION.
ple pushing the envelope, sorting out every last detail.
(i): Tell us about some of the more interesting video submis-
sions that you received.
TL: Well, we had 10 submissions from Azerbaijan and 10 from
Kazakhstan. On the YouTube Web page, we got a surprising
number of hits from Azerbaijan. We got submissions from a
total of 70 countries. Of course, we got submissions from beat-
boxers. One of the ladies who auditioned and was chosen to be
in the symphony played the piano — but her specialty was
playing toy pianos.
(i): How did you pick the ones that made it?
TL: Well, we partnered with over 40 different organizations
around the world. A subset of those helped us with judging —
the London Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony, Hong
TL: Well, the very first set of phone calls I made were cold-calls
to some of the top organizations — Julliard’s school, Carnegie
Hall. I wasn’t expecting a warm response; I didn’t know what
they would make of this new idea. What I found was that,
responses started becoming quite typical after a while. I would
call people and give them a 10-minute summary of this initia-
tive. Then they would ask a lot of the same questions — for
example, would the sound quality on YouTube be good
enough? What if the webcams don’t pick up the frequencies of
piccolo and bass? How will people keep in time? Also, different
places around the world have different pitch levels.
Once we got past those questions, the response was almost
unilaterally, “Wow this is crazy, but it sounds very exciting.”
Each of these institutes had its own idea of how this could shift
the whole classical music industry, bring a new spark to the
industry.
The London Symphony Orchestra approached this from
their own angle: education. They uploaded all these master
classes to encourage music education. At the beginning I just
wanted input from these music professionals. Eventually, once
we had established a dialogue, I asked them to support the ini-
tiative in different ways. I think if you went around to these
different symphony halls around the world at the time, you
would have found posters and advertisements for auditions in
their programs and on the walls.
(i):Tell me about the logistics of the Carnegie performance.
How long did the chosen musicians stay there? How did the
performance go?
TL: Well, the concert was on Wednesday, April 15. The level at
which the players performed was just incredible. Some of the
winners didn’t even speak a word of English, had never been to
New York. But as soon as the conductor hit the first downbeat
on the first rehearsal on Monday morning, all of them played
in tune, together, in synch. This was incredible — these people
had never met each other before, didn’t even speak the same
language and were completely varied in age — yet they were
able to communicate through the common language of music.
Most of the winners arrived over Easter eeekend and they
rehearsed from Monday morning until mid-day on
Wednesday. So they had, in total, two and a half days to prac-
tice. It was very intense, straight-day rehearsals. Everyone
worked incredibly hard in all of those three days.
In terms of the pieces played, they were very diverse. It
wasn’t a typical classical music concert at all; we had a wide
variety of pieces, ranging from Mozart to Brahms to
Tchaikovsky to newer pieces by a DJ/composer. The program
was designed specifically to show the diversity of classical
music.
(i): Do you think this YouTube Symphony will make any musi-
cians famous?
TL: I think it already has. There was a violin teacher from
Bermuda in the bunch. He was a very accomplished violinist,
but winning a place at the YouTube Symphony Orchestra has
energized the entire country — everyone there was very proud
of him. He’s become a bit of a local hero in Bermuda.
One of our concert masters is actually a jazz violinist from
Mexico; and another violinist from Romania, near
Transylvania, has been in the Romanian spotlight since he
managed to join the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. This is
just the beginning; what these people do with their music
careers will be very interesting to watch.
(i): How did you get Oscar-nominated composer Tan Dun to
compose a five-minute piece specifically for the YouTube
Symphony Orchestra?
TL: It was all very lucky, actually. I managed to find out
through a classical music agent that he would be laid over in
Amsterdam from morning until this specific time in after-
noon. So, I got someone from the Google Amsterdam office to
pick him up and drive him to the Google office, where I had a
one-hour video conference with him. I told him about the
concept of the project and from the very beginning he under-
stood the possibilities of this idea. He was very excited — his
eyes were lighting up the entire conversation.
Once we were done talking, he was saying, I want to do
this. Obviously he had one major prior arrangement — he was
a special consultant to and composer for the Olympic Games
— but he said he would prioritize our project afterwards and
try to meet the tight deadline. After that, we met once again in
Germany. I sat down with him and described the project in
greater detail and gave him the context he needed to create a
piece to fit this initiative.
(i): Do you have future plans for the YouTube Symphony
Orchestra? What’s the next step, if there is one planned?
TL: The original intent of putting this together was to set off a
new trend in online artistic creation. This was a demonstration
of the ways in which technology could be used to get people to
work together and create new things. From here, it can take
any direction. There are no plans as of yet from the organizers.
We’d just been working to make it to the concert. But in terms
of online collaboration — there is no question that this will
have a future. This will definitely have a life of its own; the
online platform is there — we’ve just shown that technology
can be used artistically on a major scale.
— joanna XU
contact joanna: joannaxu@stanford.edu
friday april 24 2009 5
RESTAURANT REViEW
MODERN VIETNAMESE IN STYLE AT XANH
y many standards, Castro Street in Mountain View
B offers cuisine that beats Palo Alto’s offerings — at lower
prices, too. At one end of the spectrum are the budget
options like pho and ramen. But Castro Street is good for more
than just a cheap eat, and a prime example is Xanh, a contem-
porary Vietnamese restaurant and lounge.
The Xanh experience is eye-catching from the very begin-
ning. From the outside, it’s hard to miss the name of the
restaurant spelled out in large chrome block letters surround-
ed by a halo of blue and white light coming from behind.
Inside, the theme of blue light continues with an impressive
bar, also lit from behind. Adjacent is the sleek lounge, with
abstract decorations and
more of an earth-tone
theme in the lighting
and upholstery. And,
finally, there is the
dining room, which is
a little more subtle, but
is decorated by bits of care-
fully placed light and a wave
pattern on the wall that still
captures the same modern sophis-
tication.
Xanh’s basic cuisine is Vietnamese,
but the menu clearly shows influences
from other places — especially Japan.
The menu offers something for almost
any appetite provided that you aren’t
too much of a
culinary
conser-
vative.
To start,
there are
small plates
of rolls that are
6 intermission
6
geometrically similar to maki but are more along the lines of a
spring roll in terms of ingredients. The primary fillers are let-
tuce, mint, chives and shallots, and the wrapper is a rice noo-
dle, rather than seaweed. Ahi tuna is an option as the main fill-
ing, but so are things like duck, shrimp and beef. Any of the
rolls would provide a good opening to a meal thanks to the
bulk of the volume being in the form of light veggies, but with
enough taste from the fish or meat to provide some real flavor.
For other starters, consider the ahi tuna tartare as a small
plate. The presentation is nothing short of dazzling, with a
cone of tuna and garnishes sitting atop a vase of continuously
bubbling water centered on a plate otherwise covered with
wonton chips on which to spread the tuna. Since just seeing
the dish is possibly worth the price, the actual taste seems like
a bonus. Perhaps it is short of the world’s greatest tartare, but
the ahi is sufficiently fresh and tasty, and the accompaniments The imperfect service, however, was insufficient to ruin
make for an altogether excellent appetizer. The crispy shrimp what was otherwise a very good meal. The starters were out-
clouds, another small plate, are as heavenly as the name would standing, the main courses were still above average, and the
imply. surrounding décor and atmosphere made the outside world
Moving into main courses, the main options come in the seem boring. This, of course, isn’t a cheap meal, with small
form of noodles or meat-based large plates. The prawns with plates running mostly in the low teens and large plates reach-
garlic noodles are on the simpler side and are presented ing into the high 20s. However, the servings are quite generous,
accordingly — nothing as extravagant as the tuna tartare. But and with a small group, the price per head is quite reasonable,
the dish does well by not trying to do too much — it offers especially for the quality of the food.
nicely cooked shrimp with noodles that are worth eating, even — theo POLAN
on their own. The Shaking beef, a mainstay of Vietnamese contact theo: tpolan@stanford.edu
cooking (at least in Northern California) is one of the better
renditions in the area, though it once again does not live up to
the standards left by the starters.
The service is probably one of the weaker points at Xanh. photos courtesy xanhrestaurant.com
It was certainly not a horror story of incompetence that one
might expect at The Axe and Palm, but the wait to order drinks
and then the meal were a bit longer than they should have
been. Food arrived at a pace perhaps on the slow end of the
acceptable range, and the manner in which plates were placed
and collected was not quite consistent with the prices on the
menu.
 BIG FAMILY,
ew subjects are more taboo in America than that of
F polygamy, the practice of having more than one wife.
Luckily, our cable programs serve to present shows
tackling controversial topics (“Weeds” on Showtime,
“Interventation” on A&E). HBO has made a generous contri-
bution to this realm with “Big Love,” a show following a fun-
damentalist Mormon man, Bill Henrickson (played by Bill
Paxton) who lives with his three wives in Sandy, Utah.
Right from the get-go, the drama is palpable — Bill and
his wives are caught in a tangled web of greed, tradition, cor-
rupt religion and the sheer difficulty of having three wives
and eight children. This show is incredibly intense — as soon
as one problem is solved, another is on its way. But don’t
assume that the show doesn’t have its funny moments, where
you find yourself laughing out load. Since I strongly recom-
mend this show for your viewing pleasure, Intermission is
going to provide you with a character guide. Believe me, “Big
Love” can get more than a little confusing.
BILL HENRICKSON
The protagonist of “Big Love,” Bill is a man with a trou-
bled past. He was born and raised on a polygamist com-
pound in Utah, but was kicked out when he was 14. He
struggled to provide for himself and ended up meeting his
future wife, Barb, while in college. Bill has become relatively
successful and, by the beginning of the show, owns three
home supply stores and other infant businesses. He spends
much of the show trying to fix things gone wrong and gen-
erally means well, though sometimes he can come off as
bumbling. Bill’s character is heavily conflicted, but when it
comes down to it, all he cares about is his family, no matter
how unconventional this family may be to us. All he wants is
to protect his wives and children, which he has to do regular-
ly from outside forces. Bill is a good man at the core, but he
is still vulnerable to vices and temptations. His multiple flaws
help make for a great plotline.
BARB HENRICKSON
Bill’s first wife, Barb (played by Jeanne Tripplehorn) is
an incredibly strong woman. Marrying Bill in college, Barb
was an LDS Mormon, while Bill had renounced the
“Principle” (the calling to marry more than one wife).
However, after seeing his Barb battle uterine cancer, Bill
changed his mind and decided it was spiritually necessary to
take on a second wife. While at the core Barb didn’t believe
the Principle, she was so in love with Bill that she was willing
to share him. This caused her family to completely disown
her, and Barb became isolated from the regular world. Much
of the show displays Barb with a calm, caring and motherly
demeanor, but the actor expertly displays Barb’s actual dis-
comfort and confusion about the path her life has taken. She
cares for the entire family, and because she
is the first wife, takes on the role of the
public wife as well as manager of the
households and her “sister-wives.”
Barb’s character is perhaps the most
complex in the entire series.
HBO
“BIG LOVE” ART AFFAIR
NICOLETTE GRANT
FESTIVAL RECAP
Nicki (played by Chloe Sevigny), Bill’s second wife, was
originally Barb’s caretaker while she was sick with uterine
cancer. Like Bill, Nicki is also from the polygamist com- This past weekend, Stanford Organizing Committee for the
pound. However, her father is the “Prophet” and undisputed Arts (SOCA) organized the largest arts festival of the year at
leader among the group. Oh, and he also happens to be Bill’s Stanford, featuring hundreds of visual artists, singer/song-
greatest enemy, a little factoid that creates quite some conflict writers, musicians, etc. Among the events scheduled were a
and excitement. She strongly believes in the “Principle” and a visual arts reception, the one-act play Bloodsong and a
dresses in complete modesty, looking very old-fashioned in soundtrack release party, among others.
prairie garb. She is not used to living off the compound in
the real world and appears very cold and unsympathetic on
the surface. However, after a few episodes we find out that
she is actually passionate about many things and very caring
about the things that matter most. This still does not change
the fact that Nicki is very calculating and always looking out
for her best interests. She is constantly caught in the struggle
between her father and Bill, putting strains on both of the
relationships. One of the most interesting characters on the
show, Nicki’s plotline is always one to pay attention to.
MARGENE HEFFMAN
Bill’s third wife, Margene (played by Ginnifer
Goodwin), is closer in age to Bill’s oldest children than Bill
himself. While working at Home Plus as a customer service
agent, Margene got hired to baby-sit Bill’s kids and wound
up the third wife. Her parents are divorced, and she was
raised by her alcoholic and unstable mother. While not orig-
inally Mormon, Margene is very happy with the arrange-
ment and adores the idea of having an enormous family.
However, Margene is still desperate for a social life, and the
secrecy of a polygamist life is very stifling to this young and
beautiful character. Margene is generally portrayed as very
perky and easily influenced, and thus is often used by either
Nicki or Barb to side against the other. Her character is fun
and flirty, which adds variety to the characters in this show.
— annika HEINLE
contact annika: anheinle@stanford.edu
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photos by steve lesser
friday april 24 2009 7
 COACHELLA: THE ART FESTIVAL THE MUSIC FESTIVAL: BLEND OF OLD AND NEW
or one weekend a year, tens of thousands of concert- For those unfamiliar with the festival,

oachella is more than just a city in the middle of the Californian

F goers brave the intense desert heat and trek out to the
unlikeliest of locations to see the three-day wonder
that is the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Held on
Coachella’s five-stage setup includes a monstrous
main stage for the biggest headliners and rock
shows, a secondary outdoor stage for indie bands,

C desert. Every year during late April, it is the home to Coachella

Valley Music & Arts Festival. This year, artists from Paul
McCartney to M.I.A. and Lupe Fiasco took the Polo Fields by storm,
attracting tens of thousands of fans from all over the world. But the
event is about more than just the music — verybody tends to forget that
it is also an Arts Festival. Every type of experimental art is on display for
the entire festival, and in some cases, the art pieces attract more atten-
tion than unknown bands.
Some pieces have been shown nearly every year for the past decade.
Eight-time veteran Syd Klinge has exhibited the same sculpture — the
Cauac Twins — the largest and most powerful twin tesla coils in the
world, hurling massive lightning bolts back and forth in the night.
Christian Ristow’s Hand of Man is also on display for the fifth year in a
row, allowing concert goers to throw up their rock hands, flash a gang
sign, and even pick up a car using a glove that controls a massive
steel/hydraulic hand. Another five-time vet includes the Lucent Dossier
Experience, one of the trippiest shows of the festival. The Lucent
Dossier Experience is what you would get if you crossed Cirque du
Soleil with a Pussycat Dolls Show, combining the erotic energy of a PCD
show with the acrobatic intensity of Cirque du Soleil. In truth, it is
probably enjoyed most when under the influence of some type of sub-
stance — something definitely not in low supply at Coachella. Two
scantily clad women commandeer the stage in geisha style makeup,
while in the background various performers twirl thirty feet above the
ground with an orb and ribbons. On the sides of the stage are other
oddly dressed (if at all) performers, each performing varying acts on
the Empire Polo Fields in Indio, Calif., the festival hosts
solid big-name lineups from noon to midnight, Friday
through Sunday, and floods the Coachella Valley with peo-
ple eager to wait hours in the 100-degree weather to catch a
glimpse of the performances.
This past weekend was only Coachella’s 10th year, but
the festival and its organizer, Goldenvoice, have already
achieved national renown for filling five outdoor stages
with a vibrant and diverse set of rock, hip-hop and elec-
tronica artists. This year’s headliners were Paul McCartney,
the Killers and the Cure, and in the past, the festival has
boasted acts such as Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine,
Björk and Oasis — as well as hundreds of smaller acts that
play throughout the day and into the night.
Although the main draw is the festival’s consistently
stellar lineups, many flock to Indio to bask in the utterly
unique ambiance of Coachella. Nowhere else will you find
neo-hippies, celebrities, body-painted college kids and aged
rockers all sweating together under the scorching sun. The
festival also features large-scale, often interactive, art instal-
lations scattered across the polo grounds. Highlights of this
year’s displays included “Hand of Man,” an enormous steel
hand powered by hydraulics that you can control
with your own hand, and The Do LaB, an
oasis of colorful tents and
trance music that provides
some much-needed shelter.
and three large tents for smaller bands and electron-
ica groups. During the heat of the day, only the
intrepid and devoted made it out to the main two
stages, while others wisely sought the shade of the
tents. By nightfall, though, huge crowds gathered to
watch the headlining acts on the main stage, the
audience extending almost a quarter-mile from the
stage itself. For those less eager to muscle to the front
of the crowd, the main stage had extra speakers and
huge screens to broadcast the performance to the
outer rim of concertgoers.
Friday’s main lineup channeled a more classic feel
with performances by Leonard Cohen, Morrissey (the
“charming man” formerly of The Smiths) and Paul
manages to deliver a festival that brings an incredibly
McCartney all performing within hours of each other.
diverse crowd together on one stretch of grass for a week-
Saturday saw more of a laid-back early afternoon on the
end of audio indulgence. Even though this year’s lineup was
main stage with performances by Joss Stone, Paolo Nutini
occasionally criticized for reaching out to more “main-
and the reggae-funk group Michael Franti & Spearhead —
stream” artists such as Paul McCartney, the end result was a
and the evening started drawing crowds with the incompa-
success. Whether you go for one day or all three, whether
rable TV on the Radio. Sunday’s mix was more eclectic, fea-
you camp out or retreat to a hotel each night, whether you
turing Perry Farrell (the only artist to appear at every
come for the lone Beatle or Steve Aoki, Coachella can
Coachella festival), Public Enemy — yes, complete with
always boast an experience unlike any other.
Flavor Flav stage-diving four times during the set — and
Here’s a look at some of the weekend highlight per-
My Bloody Valentine, whose 15-minute sound explosions
formances:
were the reason behind the festival organizers handing out -EH
earplugs earlier that day.
Coachella 2009 showed that, once again, Goldenvoice

mannequins. One performer seduces a mannequin before tearing off its
leg. While another simulates various sex acts, a third dresses it in drag
on the other side of the stage. All this is set to what they dub “apocalyp-
tic funk music,” which incorporates various elements of trance music
with heavy electronic sounds.”
Newcomers to this year’s festival include Pyrocardium, a fiery,
interactive experiment, Serpent Mother, a fire-breathing steel dragon,
and Perhaps, a mirror mosaic and stainless steel scupture. Pyrocardium
proved to be the most popular exhibit until Saturday night when it was
out of commission. Attendees would clip a pulse monitor onto their fin-
gers and watch as 40 balls of fire burst into the night sky, pulsing to the
rhythm of their hearts. Serpent Mother was also a crowd favorite, as its
head alone was longer than 12 feet, motioning toward the sky before
bellowing flames into the darkness. More traditional pieces included
Perhaps and Sphae, though their simplicity did not detract from the
wonder of the pieces. When the sun caught the glass of Perhaps just
right, the palm tree sculpture would shine brighter than the fiery pieces
surrounding. Following the trend of tall plant sculptures, five-year vet-
eran Michael Christian displayed his 25-foot post-modern tree, Sphae,
seen at various other exhibits, though still never ceasing to amaze.
The festival showcased mostly nontraditional Californian artists
and artwork, allowing many unknowns to shine brightly (even in the
100-plus degree heat). Several artists have already been asked to appear
1
PAUL MCCARTNEY
Paul McCartney’s presence was felt hours before he even set
foot on stage. The demographic on Friday was noticeably
skewed toward the older generation — especially older
women, starry-eyed at the prospect of seeing one of the Beatles in the flesh.
When Franz Ferdinand had the main stage, frontman Alex Kapranos was
sporting a “George Harrison” shirt, and halfway through the set, noticed the
many Beatles shirts in the audience and quipped, “The Beatles? Oh, are they playing later?”
Later that evening, Silversun Pickups’ Brian Aubert joked to the audience, “This one’s for Paul
McCartney — I really just want him to succeed.”
For a festival known for its more cutting-edge acts, Paul McCartney’s opening night
headline spot must have felt like a bit of a gamble. But Coachella’s new attempts to unite a
wider audience were met with great enthusiasm from young and old. As thousands of fans
filled the grass around the main stage, DJ Chris Holmes played remixes of old Beatles songs
— as if the audience needed a reminder that a rock legend was about to grace them with his
presence.
And then Sir Paul himself stepped out to thunderous applause, nattily dressed in a sharp
shirt and jacket that put the earlier grunge-clad bands to shame. He pulled a funny face, pre-
THE CURE
While The Cure was slated to take the stage at 9:25 p.m. to finish within Coachella's mandated midnight curfew, the band well sur-
tending he was surprised by the enthusiastic greeting, and then launched into a two-and-a-
half hour set that went well past midnight and covered the entire span of his musical career.
Switching between guitar, bass and piano, and putting to use his surprisingly strong
voice, the 66-year-old showed age-defying energy as he churned through hits for the more
ardent fan (from his later solo works such as “Jet”) and Beatles classics that electrified even
the youngest fans into singing along — “Hey Jude,” “Back in the U.S.S.R” and “Let It Be.” As
he took off his jacket between songs, the crowd whistled, and h-e seemed to be a rock star
basking in the spotlight. And yet, just a few songs later, he confided in the multitudes of fans
as if they were his closest friends, explaining that the day was very emotional for him, since
it was the anniversary of the death of Linda McCartney, his wife for almost 30 years. “She
loved the desert, she loved music, she loved rock ‘n’ roll,” he told the crowd quietly. “She loved
it all.”
McCartney squashed any doubts as to his ability to put on a stunning show, even with-
out the presence of Ringo Starr (rumors of a surprise appearance had been flying around the
Internet in the preceding weeks). Some came for the nostalgia, some out of curiosity, but the
Beatle cleverly gave every demographic in the audience something to remember at the end of
the festival’s first night.
-EH

2
at next year’s festival, leaving many of us waiting to see what flaming
creations they’ll have for us next year. passed the time limit with a three-hour set that literally had organizers pulling the plug. Then again, what else could be expected of
Robert Smith and The Cure? With a CV that spans over three decades and 13 major studio releases, The Cure showed the proper
— gloria JOHNSON
way to close the 10th Coachella Festival. Smith, sporting his traditional mess of black hair, provided the necessary energy to last
contact gloria: gloriaj1@stanford.edu
the long set, sometimes displaying a smile that was atypical of a man whose songs often defined a more somber, melodic iden-
tity. Starting off with sobering songs from "Prayers for Rain" and "Lovesong," the band slowly but surely moved away from the dark begin-
nings and began playing their more popular hits "In Between Days" and "Just like Heaven." By the time the festival curfew rolled around, the
band continued to play, despite the $1,000 fine for every post-midnight minute of performance placed on concert organizers Goldenvoice by Indio
police. Yet, with The Cure oblivious to the restrictions, the remaining crowd members were treated to quite the spectacle. Those wishing that the
festivities would never end may have begun to think that the band could play on forever, as The Cure turned their promised last song "Boys Don't
Cry" into an additional two numbers. But with money going up in flames, organizers decided that the dream had to end and eventually turning off
the display screens, capping a memorable 2009 Coachella Valley Music and Art Festival.
photos by devin banerjee
-RM

8 intermission 9
friday april 24 2009
6
 M.I.A.

4 This year’s Coachella found British train wreck Amy Winehouse, who was originally in the lineup, replaced
with hip-hop superstar M.I.A. on the Coachella main stage. After giving birth to her first child only a few
months ago, the late replacement was greeted with a packed-to-the-brim audience.
The show opened with neon-clad backup dancers getting their groove on in front of massive tele-
screens showing images of dissent and war in other countries, with ironic phrases like “M.I.A. supports terrorism”
and “Media Genocide.” The air was punctuated with sirens and gunshots, a very common sound in many of her
songs, before M.I.A. herself came on stage, clad in acid wash skinny jeans and neon accents. Her protégé, Rye Rye,
was practically glued to her side throughout the performance, trying to pump up the crowd and help with the
vocals.

THE KILLERS
Following a disappointing set by

3
M.I.A., The Killers delivered an elec-
trifying nighttime performance —
complete with stage sparks,
flames and fireworks — to
wrap up Saturday’s lineup.
The Las Vegas-based headliners last played
Coachella five years ago in a side tent, one
month before releasing their first hit album, “Hot
Fuss.” This year, flanked both onstage by fauna — a theme of
the band’s newest album, “Day & Age” — as well as offstage
by the Empire Polo Club’s surrounding palm trees, The
Killers opened with hits “Human” and “Somebody Told Me,”
ensuring that few festival-goers prematurely headed for the
parking lots. Delivering a continuous blend of songs from all M.I.A. seemed hell-bent on making sure the audience didn’t consider her a sellout, noting, “Just because I did
four of the group’s albums — “Hot Fuss” (2004), “Sam’s the Grammys doesn’t mean I gone all sold out.” She also acknowledged how awkwardly large the main stage was
Town” (2006), “Sawdust” (2007) and “Day & Age” for her performance, voicing what everybody in the audience was thinking — “I don’t really know how to bring it
(2008) — frontman Brandon Flowers up on the main stage.”
decided to “pick it up a little bit” with She tried to combat this obvious issue
“Spaceman,” a hit from “Day & Age.” using multiple tactics, most notably when she
Flowers then jettisoned the guitar for
“Sam’s Town,” instead singing at the
piano in front of a violinist and back-
5 FRANZ FERDINAND
Playing their second Coachella festival, the Scottish rockers
invited her fans to the front of the pit onstage, try-
ing desperately to connect with the audience on a
closer level. She then moved into her most popular
ground singer, before relating to the walked — and crutched — onto the main stage for their 6:35 song, “Paper Planes,” and performed it with an air
audience the band’s beginnings in Las p.m. Friday timeslot. Despite lead guitarist Nick McCarthy’s foot injury, of boredom, seemingly rushing to get it over with
Vegas in 2002. “I liked the same bands which confined the axeman to a walking boot, the band did not miss a beat and get back to her child.
Dave liked,” Flowers said, referring to and played one of the most up-tempo sets of the day. With the sun setting to their Her signature neon- and siren-infused
guitarist Dave Keuning. On a tape right, the band opened with “Dark of the Matinee” and current hit “No You Girls” performance was not to be missed, but could have
Keuning gave Flowers during their first — also featured in the latest iPod commercials — off their new album “Tonight.” been improved. M.I.A. herself said it best at the
meeting was what would become the While sound bytes in Apple ads may not always translate into Coldplay-esque suc- end of her short set: “Next year, I’m back in the
band’s ticket to the alternative-rock cess, the members of Franz Ferdinand couldn’t care less and their crowd sang along tent. I like to feel the sweat!”
arena — “Mr. Brightside,” which the to songs like “Take Me Out” and “What She Came For.” The band’s confidence and -AH
band performed Saturday night in classic suave were on full-display throughout the set — lead singer Alex Kapranos,
front of sparks and fireworks. After clad in striped pants and candy-apple red Oxfords, even used some of the 50-minute
leaving the stage, The Killers granted set to joke with the crowd. “I heard there’s a band called the Beatles playing,” he
the crowd’s wish by returning for an teased the ranks of McCartney fans sporting their favorite Beatles memorabilia. And
encore of “Bones,” “Jenny Was a Friend in response to a fan
of Mine” and “When You Were Young.” holding up a sign ask-
The band was dwarfed by falling ing for a peek show, he
sparks, rising flames and soaring fire- quipped before break-
works, which continued as the euphor- ing into song,
ic crowd stumbled away from the main “Someone in the crowd
stage toward their tents and cars. wants to see my nip-
ples. There’s not a lot
-DB going on up there, I’m
afraid.”

-RM

10 intermission photos by devin banerjee

6
 YEAH YEAH YEAHS JENNY LEWIS
6 Wearing something akin to ceiling decorations from
IKEA, Karen O, flanked by guitarist Nick Zinner and
7 Returning to Coachella on her own after playing last year with Rilo Kiley, indie-alt-country queen
Jenny Lewis proved that she could again fill a set with catchy and poignant songs no matter her
backing band. She and her four-person band methodically worked through the hits of her
drummer Brian Chase, took the stage as the enig-
matic trio that is the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Adding to the visual albums “Acid Tongue” and “Rabbit Fur Coat,” alternating between slow songs (“Pretty Bird”) and fran-
oddity was the massive inflatable eye that hung as the stage’s cen- tic jams (“Jack Killed Mom,” which culminated in a wonderfully chaotic frenzy). The audience, which
terpiece. Equal to the optical spectacle however, was the audio experience. included Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon, gladly sang along for the 50-minute set as Lewis show-
Karen O, sporting a gold-sequined cape and blue polka-dotted leggings, cased her evocative voice and unparalleled stage presence.
had little care for the heat, much less the odd stares that have come to Lewis clearly thrives in the spotlight, having grown up as a child actress, and it showed as she crooned
define her stage attire, immediately belting out songs “Runaway” and her way into the hearts of the audience members with heartbreaking renditions of her best songs. She
“Gold Lion.” With a clean, powerful sound, the set itself was defined by its played an acoustic version of the Rilo Kiley hit “Silver Lining,” and belted out the refrain “I want to tell you
emotional control, taking the crowd through fluctuations of intimacy, I love you” with incredible power in “The Next Messiah.” The backing band also abandoned their instru-
excitement and love. The always-smiling Karen O, lithe and graceful, strut- ments for “Acid Tongue,” where Lewis sang and played guitar while the band members huddled around a
ted the stage with cat-like moves, stirring the crowd with “Zero” and microphone and sang backup, creating an intimate atmosphere for one song. As the set came to a close,
“Heads Will Roll” off their new album “It’s Blitz!” Yet with the sun setting she prepared for the last song, and as a means of goodbye, said to the audience in her most charming voice,
on Sunday, the set can perhaps be encapsulated by the performance of “Well shit, it’s about that time.”
“Maps,” to which Karen O stated, “This song is about love.” With the -EH
crowd singing along, “Wait! They don’t love you like I love you,” the Yeah
Yeah Yeahs delivered one of the most personal experiences and perhaps
memorable performances of Coachella 2009.
SILVERSUN PICKUPS
-RM
8 Sandwiched between the set times of concert “oldies” Leonard Cohen, Morrissey and Paul
McCartney, Los Angeles’ Silversun Pickups played the last set of the day on the Outdoor Stage
Friday night. Trying not to be discouraged by the former Beatle who would be playing across
the way, lead singer Brian Aubert quipped, “I really hope the best for Paul McCartney.” Yet the breakout
rock band, which recently released a new album, “Swoon,” did little to disappoint, more than ready to show
that they would not be affected by the sophomore album downfall that so often characterizes one-hit fade-
outs. Alternating between songs off the new album and their first release, “Carnavas,” the band unleashed their
unique sound of distorted guitars layers and raspy vocals on songs such as “Catch and Release” and “Little
Lovers so Polite.” And while calls for hit “Lazy Eye” from the crowd may have been premature, fans that had
disregarded Morrissey and Girl Talk to see the intriguing quartet were captivated with everything from drum-
mer Chris Guanlao’s head-high cymbal to bassist Nikki Monninger’s girl-next-door sweetness — a direct con-
trast to her overpowering bass lines. Playing with the energy and verve of Coachella veterans, Silversun Pickups
did everything to justify their set time and solidify themselves as one of today’s most exciting rock acts.
-RM

PETER BJORN AND JOHN

Making their second Coachella appearance in three years,

9 Sweden’s 10-year-old band Peter Bjorn and John took to

the main stage Sunday afternoon and slowly built a
decently sized crowd throughout their 50-minute set.
Frontman Peter Moren, sporting a sharp blue blazer, briefly
noted his enthusiasm at standing on the same stage that headliner
and former Beatle Paul McCartney did on Friday night, before delv-
ing into a series of songs off of the band’s newest album, “Living Thing.”
Struggling to extract audience enthusiasm with their new material, the trio
finally summoned a set of bongos to the stage, signaling their inescapable
hit “Young Folks,” which was accompanied by Sweden’s Lykke Li, fresh off of
her afternoon performance at the Outdoor Theatre. Hands finally pointed
skyward during “Young Folks” and continued to do so with hits “Let’s Call
It Off ” and “Up Against the Wall.” In the end, Moren, dancing with his gui-
tar during “Nothing to Worry About” from the band’s latest album,
appeared to have nothing to worry about: the audience took in the rocker’s
enthusiasm along with the afternoon desert sun.
-DB
LUPE FIASCO
In 2007, Lupe Fiasco made his Coachella debut with his hit album “Food & Liquor.” Two years

10 later, he made it back to the main stage, this time opening with his 2006 hit “Kick, Push,” and build-
ing up to his smash hit “Superstar.”
Performing this year with a live band instead of as a DJ, Fiasco had the crowd dancing and
singing along. Part of the reason Lupe Fiasco’s set was so fantastic was his ability to perform — the best
musicians can be terrible performers, and the best performers can be terrible musicians — but when it
comes to concerts, at the end of the day the crowd wants to see a performance. Last weekend, Lupe did not
disappoint.
His performance was intense; he had incredibly high energy, and, though it was a 4 p.m. performance,
he was definitely capable of attracting a crowd. After a few songs (“Kick, Push” was performed without main
stage speakers, but that wasn’t his fault), it seemed the crowd was sold. The crowd favorite had to have been
either “Go Go Gadget Flow” or “Hip-Hop Saved My Life,” but picking just one from this set list definitely
proves difficult. Regardless, Lupe’s performance definitely provides a newfound respect for hip-hop.
-GJ

friday april 24 2009 11


11 GIRL TALK
In the past couple of years, this mash-up
artist has become widely well known for his
concerts — Girl Talk, or Greg Gillis, shows up with a
waterproof laptop and nothing else, inviting fans up on
stage and thriving on the sweat pouring from the fans.
However, the traditional, wildly popular concert that Girl
Talk is known for is not what he gave at this year’s Coachella.
Held in the Sahara tent, which was designed for the
dance artists, the Girl Talk stage was sparsely set. The crowd
was incredibly restless and shoved more than at any other set
attended this year.
But the dance party element of the Girl Talk concert was
lost for multiple reasons. Generally, Girl Talk gives the stage
up to the audience and acts merely as a DJ for the dance party.
But this time, with a giant security rail at the front of the
14 BILLY TALENT
You won’t find a “Canadian punk rock” section at your local record store, but that
doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
Still relatively unknown, Billy Talent has been together since 1999. On Saturday, they made it
to the Coachella main stage, albeit at 1:30 in the afternoon before most people had arrived. The
band was grateful and relished the opportunity to be our “morning cup of coffee for the rest of the day.”
They opened the show with the song “Devil in a Midnight Mass,” the first track from their second
album, and continued to play songs from “Billy Talent II,” such as “Surrender,” “Fallen Leaves” and
“Where is the Line?” Considering their early performance, I was fairly impressed by the energy. Then
again, I am biased as a long-time fan. Between songs, Ben praised Paul McCartney, who had performed
the night before. When a fan booed, he asked, “Are you booing
Paul McCartney? You should be hung.” He also made fun of his
teenage fans’ ska dancing, or “skanking,” as they call it, which
consists of pushing each other around while spinning in cir-
cles. They brought it back to their earlier days, ending with
“Try Honesty,” “Lies” and “River Below.”
Billy Talent earned the WTF Award in this year’s Coachella
forum, given to the band that doesn’t generally fit with this
year’s lineup. As a result, many Conor Oberst and Fleet Foxes
fans wandered over to the performance, nodding their heads
quietly, while less than a dozen of us (myself included) head-
banged to their performances, rhythmically throwing rock
hands as a sign of approval and appreciation. Frontman Ben
Kowalewicz noticed, asking, “Where are your rock hands? Rock
hands are the greatest honor a band can receive.” Perhaps with
a little more exposure, Billy Talent will be back in a couple of
years just like The Killers, who were only featured in 2004 but
were headlining on Saturday night this year.
-GJ
12 intermission
6
stage, the crowd wound up pushing toward the front most of
12 TRV$DJ-AM
the time, destroying anyone’s chances of dancing. Instead of
Unlike Girl Talk, the DJ set that blew the crowd
having the crowd dancing around him, Girl Talk used VIP
away at this year’s Coachella was TRV$DJ-
fans from backstage to dance in front of the group.
AM. Comprised of Travis Barker of Blink*182 fame
To incite excitement, stagehands used motor-propelled
and DJ AM, one of the most in-demand disc jockeys right
sticks to shoot toilet paper into the crowd, but instead of
now, TRV$DJ-AM played for an enormous crowd at the
being fun, this was just disgusting.
Sahara tent. The duo recently suffered a tragic plane crash,
Toward the end of the show, Girl Talk clearly decided to
with both miraculously surviving, despite horrible third-
turn it around. He began displaying new mash-ups that were
degree burns. But during this show, it was impossible to tell
unfamiliar to the audience, yet still highly danceable. He
that either had recently been through near-death experiences.
threw out his blow-up decorations into in the audience and
The show was set up like a high-octane type of call and
danced on the table. However, when it all came down to it, a
response. Travis punctuated DJ AM’s mash-ups with his
massive, shoving pit and audience disconnectedness made
incredible beats on percussion. I can safely say that Travis
Girl Talk just a guy pressing buttons on a laptop.
Barker is one of the best drummers of our generation — he
-AH
never stopped drumming hard the entire set, even with sweat
pouring down his bare, tattoo-covered chest.
That’s not to say that DJ AM was overshadowed by the
prodigy. His skill on the turntables was undeniable, and his
stage presence was absolutely magnetic. He cheered on Travis’s
solos with the crowd and showed a high degree of excitement
when changing beats and songs. He danced and sang along,
but all the while never took his hands off of the computer or
turntables.
This year’s Coachella without TRV$DJ-AM simply would
not have been as incredible. They gave it their all and certainly
did not disappoint the massive crowd with their thrilling,
exhilarating and kickass performance.
-AH
13
FLEET FOXES
Seattle-based Fleet Foxes took the Outdoor Stage
Saturday night against the picturesque background of
sunsets and palm trees, matching the peaceful setting with
their serene and folksy tunes. Drawing from their self-titled
debut album and their EP “Sun Giant,” the band was casual in
between songs, joking about beer and good-heartedly asking
the audience for song suggestions.
Making the most of their live setting and the four vocal-
ists in the band of five, Fleet Foxes opened the set with the a
cappella opening to “Sun Giant,” their voices floating out over
the audience in soothing harmonies. The first few songs
blended into each other, and their voices and instruments
lulled the audience into relaxation, shuffling through other
tracks such as “Sun It Rises” and “Drops in the River.”
Occasionally, dribbles of Thievery Corporation would
float over from the main stage in the silence between songs.
Not to be outdone, Fleet Foxes upped into some of its more
energetic songs, encouraging the audience to sing along dur-
ing “Ragged Wood.” Although the performance was simple
and sweet — not many changes from the album — the live
setting really let the band’s qualities shine. While the voices are
muted on the recordings, they lit up the microphones onstage,
and the band’s feel on the faster-paced songs was upped to
something even more energetic — a welcome change that
made for a satisfying and still intriguing set.
-EH
— ryan MAC
contact ryan: rbmac@stanford.edu
— devin BANERJEE
contact devin: devin11@stanford.edu
— annika HEINLE
contact annika: anheinle@stanford.edu
— ellen HUET
contact ellen: ehuet@stanford.edu
— gloria JOHNSON
contact gloria: gloriaj1@stanford.edu
— ellen HUET
contact ellen: ehuet@stanford.edu
 COACHELLA FASHION
his year at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, hipsters took the polo

T fields by storm. They came in droves, clad in American Apparel and Ray-Ban
Wayfarers. Sarcasm aside, the fashion scene at this year’s Coachella displayed a lot
of what you are going to be seeing this summer. Neon, plaid, fringe, feathers and studs
were all were prominent at this year’s hipster fashion show.
One of the most popular looks this year was
the flashback to the ‘80s, with girls and guys clad in
neon and “Let’s Get Physical” garb. I guarantee that
American Apparel sells more lame and neon this
time of year than any other season. Shorts were
high-waisted, headbands were prominent and
neon glasses adorned nearly every face. Arguably,
most people overdid this look. When outside of
festival grounds, Intermission recommends you
tread lightly when dabbling in this look — a little
goes a long way. It’s a terrible idea to go out in
public clad entirely in highlighter colored span-
dex. Rather, add a punch of color to an other-
wise simple outfit with either colorful sunglass-
es or a headband.
On the other side of the fashion spectrum, the
folksy look was also very popular at this year’s
festival. Sundresses and rompers (basically a
shirt and shorts attached) in paisley, folksy prints
accessorized with feather earrings and fringed shoulder bags made an
enormous showing. Rope headbands added that extra dash of hippie.
Those who found the flowy look unflattering found that adding a
woven belt around the waist visibly improved their figure. The folk look
is another one that can be a little bit dangerous . . . when trying out this
trend, don’t be fooled by the loose fabrics and assume that they are flat-
tering on everyone. They aren’t. Make sure you tailor your dress or
romper to flatter your curves rather than hide them.
Another enormously popular look this year was the “hippie rocker.”
This is a mixture between the aforementioned folk look, and the leather and studs tradition-
ally worn by rock stars. It was hard to stomach seeing so many people in this look, seeing as
it was 100 degrees, but I digress. This look involves frayed denim shorts (men and women)
with leather vests, gloves or headbands. Metallics and link embellishments are a nice touch
to this sort of outfit. Slouchy black boots or metallic
gladiator sandals are the ideal footwear to achieve the
‘hippie rocker.’ Don’t forget the hippie element — add
black or white feathers where possible, and a black
fringed shoulder bag to complete the look.
Coachella is not just a music
festival — it’s also a con-
gregation of fashionistas
every year. Everywhere
you looked, you saw the
lifestyles of the hip and
the famous strolling
around the fields. The
three looks mentioned
were arguably the most
popular this year, but
Intermission wants to
warn you one last time:
moderation. We don’t
want our stylish readers
looking like they tried too
hard and got drunk on
Ray-Bans.
— annika HEINLE
contact annika:
anheinle@stanford.edu

photos by annika heinle

friday april 24 2009 13
MOViE REViEW

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obert Downey, Jr. is so hot right now. After Touching on this notion of characters, the acting

R soaring to new heights in “Iron Man” (2008)

and pushing comedic boundaries in “Tropic
Thunder” (2008), Downey has seemingly become
Hollywood’s next A-list actor. Even though Downey is
no stranger to Tinsel Town, it appears he’s been win-
ning over the public’s affection as of recently. He has
done this not only by making use of his devilishly
charming good looks but also proving his Oscar-wor-
thy acting chops. You can always tell how great an
actor truly is when they can make themselves shine in
a lackluster film.
Downey’s latest cinema outing, “The Soloist,” is a
good example of this. Helmed by acclaimed director
Joe Wright (“Pride & Prejudice” [2005], “Atonement”
[2007]) and co-starring Jamie Foxx, this film seems
like it has all the basic elements for a great drama flick.
Based on a true story, “The Soloist” spins the tale of a
Los Angeles reporter (Downey) who becomes inter-
ested in the life of a schizophrenic, Julliard-trained
homeless musician (Foxx). However, despite the film’s
immediate credentials, the story fails to satisfy and
instead becomes muddled in the numerous agendas
the movie is trying to push. At first, you think the film
is just about a down-and-out musician, then the next
thing you know, it becomes a campaign to spread
awareness of homelessness in Los Angeles. Then, as if
that isn’t enough, the film takes another twist and tries
its hand at tackling the often-debated issues sur-
rounding psychiatric treatment.
The overextended scope of “The Soloist” is by far
my biggest gripe with the film. I’m not saying one film
can’t tackle multiple issues — it can, but only if done
right. As “The Soloist” starts off and slowly progresses,
issue after issue is raised — opening yet more
Pandora’s boxes. Raising so many social issues not
only makes the film feel a lot longer than it actually is
(approximately 109 minutes), but it also obligates the
film to address and resolve every issue that it throws
out, which is impossible under such a short time span.
Instead, “The Soloist” either quickly prescribes its own
solution to the problems or just glosses over them,
giving the audience a strange unsettling feeling toward
the film’s end. This feeling of unsettlement can actual-
ly be a good thing, since it can help to better raise
awareness about an issue, but at the same time, it can
also negatively impact the development of some of the
movie’s most basic elements, like the characters and
overall plot.
in “The Soloist” is phenomenal, and I would not have
expected any less from both Foxx and Downey. Foxx
seems to shine in musically-charged dramas — think
“Ray” (2004) and “Dreamgirls” (2006) — and this
time around, his portrayal as a damaged musical
prodigy is deeply convincing. Playing a glib reporter is
also a role that Downey is familiar with; he played a
similar role in “Zodiac” (2007), which was also based
off of a true story. Downey and Foxx mesh fluidly with
one another, and when their characters on screen
express genuine care and sincerity for the other, audi-
ence members can’t help but be touched.
Besides the acting, director Wright makes some
interesting creative decisions that both enhance and
detract from the film’s look and style. On the plus side,
the film makes use of constant long shots of the city of
Los Angeles, usually done with musical accompani-
ment. This technique gives the crowded city of L.A. a
life and rhythm of its own and highlights one of the
film’s themes: Music can be found everywhere.
Another stylistic choice that I appreciated was the use
of voice-over narration by several of the film’s charac-
ters, usually done in conjunction with one of
Downey’s newspaper articles being read in the movie.
This element gives the film a quirky narrative appeal
akin to the voice-over narration in the Will Ferrel film
“Stranger than Fiction” (2006).
Of course at the same time, there were a handful
of stylistic choices that were overdone and therefore
detracted from the “artsy” experience that it was try-
ing to create. These come in the form of sometimes
awkward imagery during some of the film’s musical
numbers — two that jump to mind involve pigeons
flying and abstract colors that look more like a screen-
saver than a filmic sequence.
When all of the music is over, the title “The
Soloist” just does not seem to cut it. There’s nothing
really “solo” about a film built heavily on the relation-
ship between the characters played by Foxx and
Downey, as well as the myriad of issues that the film
raises. The film is not fantastic by any means but it
does contain some heart-warming messages and a few
standout performances that could make the trip to the
theater worthwhile, especially if you’re a major Robert
Downey Jr. fan like myself.
— k y l e E VA L D E Z
contact kyle: kedemon@stanford.edu
A
lthough Karan Mahajan ‘05 is only 24 years old, he’s already pub-
lished his first novel, Family Planning. Last night, he gave a well-
attended reading at the Stanford Bookstore during which he shared
his first one-and-a-half chapters.
Mahajan’s writing comes alive through his radiant descriptions and
extended metaphors. In introducing his characters — a New Delhi politi-
cian, his constantly pregnant wife and their thirteen children, the oldest of
whom can’t understand why his parents are still having sex — Mahajan
pokes gentle fun at political issues in India.
During his talk, Mahajan also poked gentle fun at himself.
“I’m probably the most formally dressed person on the Stanford cam-
pus right now,” he said, adding that he thinks last night was the only time
he’s ever worn a button-down shirt at Stanford.
Adam Johnson, a lecturer in the English department, introduced
Mahajan, calling him “devilishly handsome” and “warmly funny,” able to
“recognize something human in someone else.”
Family Planning is not particularly autobiographical. Mahajan has only
one sibling, so his immediate family is nothing like that of his protagonists.
However, he said he does understand the “large crowds” that are
extended families in India.
At Stanford, Mahajan majored in English and economics — and his
current job situation combines both skill sets. On a typical weekday, he
wakes up at 5:30 a.m. to write for a couple of hours. Then, he does a few
exercises before heading off to work in New York City’s strategic planning
department. He also writes on the weekends.
“That all adds up to not having a life,” he deduced.
Mahajan grew up in New Delhi, India, and started writing creatively
during his senior year at Stanford. He has written for The San Francisco
Chronicle, Granta and The New York Sun.
— emma TROTTER
contact emma: emmat@stanford.edu

14 intermission photos by steve lesser

6
 9 ROXY’S 11 PROFROS TO TAKE

.30.0
LIN EU P ADVANTAGE OF THIS WEEKEND
Oh, Admit Weekend. So many new beginnings for all those inno-

9-4
cent, little ProFros out there — but for Roxy, it’s all about the happy 3. Kid choosing
endings. When else can she have her pick of so much young, fresh between
4.24.0 meat?
Really, Admit Weekend is all about Stanford whoring itself out
Swarthmore and
Stanford
to the young and impressionable high schoolers. Forget “commit- He probably has a few too
F ment” — that’s to be decided when you’re back home. For now, it’s many philosophical thoughts for
all about taking full advantage of the two- or three-night stand that Roxy, and he’s way too into the
9pm
is Admit Weekend. humanities. Then again, he might be
Cody Wiesen
CoHo Of course, Roxy is more than willing to show some lost, little able to get way into this human.
awesome admit weekend music ProFros the way around Stanford. In particular, here are a few
ProFros that she’s on the lookout for: 4. Dorm cheers kid
Some ProFros are WAY too into those dorm cheers. It isn’t even
Sa 1. Kid choosing between MIT and Stanford NSO yet, and some kids are dying with Branner spirit (hah, good
With that engineering mindset, he probably has the technical skill luck with that next year, suckers). Still, Roxy enjoys anyone who’s
to build you a nice sex hammock. Passion be damned, Roxy doesn’t willing to moan in public. Triple-O, oh yes.
8pm
Spoken Word Poetry Slam mind getting down to the mechanics of it all and developing some
CoHo friction. 5. Stanford apparel kid
shows those profros what’s cool on campus This kid just spent $100 at The Stanford Store (God help him if it
2. Kid choosing between the Ivy League and was $200 at the Bookstore) and is wearing a Stanford shirt,
9pm Stanford Stanford sweatshirt, Stanford hat, Stanford shorts, Stanford sandals
Underground Live If he’s so much of a “stiff ” that he does end up going to Harvard or and Stanford sunglasses. Still, Roxy can’t help but wonder what’s
CoHo Yale, Roxy doesn’t mind working that “stiffie” out so he has some underneath all those layers of Cardinal gear. Just wait until she gets
some awesome African and Caribbean music good stories to share of that “wild” Stanford place he almost went her teeth on those Stanford boxers.
to.
6. “Cool” kid
You know who I’m talking about. This kid just spent $200
M on two Abercrombie outfits — one for Friday and one for
Saturday — just so people might actually think he’s cool in
8pm college, because we all know that didn’t work out so well in
Jazz Jams high school. Though Roxy doesn’t have a taste for the fake
CoHo
douche bag, she does like to add to her virgin total.
just chill out and relax
7. Nerdy quiet kid
This kid probably just saw the outside world for the first
time during his high school career. Roxy will have a few
T
things to teach him, but hey, he’s obviously a good student.

7pm 8. KID WITH HELICOPTER PARENTS

Tango Night If Roxy’s able to steal him away for even a five-minute
CoHo quickie, she’ll be able to satisfy his needs. Thank goodness
learn it for the ladies for those “admit-only” events.
7:30pm
Sigma Sweets Bake Off
9. RICH FOREIGN KIDS
Mirrieless House Having paid a few thousand dollars to fly out here just for
nothing is sweeter than a bake off the weekend, you know these kids are looking for a little
something more to make it all worth it. Roxy has the
goods, though, for anyone who’s, uh . . . loaded.

W 10. LEGACY KIDS

This kid walks around like he already owns the place, as if
he’s Leland Stanford, Jr. — okay, maybe John Arrillaga, Jr.
8pm
SIMPS - Stanford Improvisors Able to claim a few dorms, buildings and events in Stanford
CoHo history as a part of his family legacy, Roxy would like to
because who doesn’t love some good improv add herself to the list. Bring your daddy along, legacy boy.

11. Kid who’s read the brochure 2,000 times

This kid gets off just watching the Admit Web site load
Th each time he checks it out. Sure, he knows all there is to
know about how many bikes there are on campus, about
8pm the Draw and even about FMOTQ. Hell, he probably even
Oceans 09: Senior Talent Show reads The Daily more than you do. Well, he sure doesn’t
CoHo know Roxy until he’s experienced her . . .
watch their last hoorah XOXO
— roxy SASS

friday april 24 2009 15

 Last Wednesday, the ASSU and Haas Center for Public Service

6
16
hosted a Sustainable Fashion Show in Toyon lounge. Students
modeled clothes from designers Stewart + Brown, Pi Organic,
Aoki Jeans and many more. SUSTAINABLE FASHION SHOW

intermission
photos by steve lesser